Chore Wars: Average Brit spends over 34 hours arguing about housework each year

However, it’s not just doing them that devours time, arguing about them does too; with respondents spending an average of 36 minutes bickering over menial tasks week in, week out. That equates to over 34 hours each year.

The study pinpoints the washing up (25 per cent); taking the bins out (22 per cent) and vacuuming – (18 per cent), as causing the most tension. Even planning the weekly meals are a recipe for arguments among one in five British households (17 per cent).

WHAT GRATES YOUR CHEESE?

A fifth (21 per cent) of respondents with a bee in their bonnet about chores and errands, said it was because they’re expected to do the lion’s share. For nearly one in five (19 per cent) the frustration of never having enough time was a trigger for arguments.

If you feel like your list of life admin and housekeeping is never ending, don’t worry, only 15 per cent of those who took part in the survey felt like they were completely ‘on top’ of the housekeeping.

Timo Boldt, CEO and Founder of recipe box company, Gousto says: “Putting an evening meal on the table can be stressful after a busy day, causing tension among some families. Our new Ten to Table recipes take just 10 minutes from prepping to eating - nutritious home-cooked meals for when there’s no time. Quick without compromising on taste and quality, they’re packed full of flavour and goodness and fit into even the busiest schedule.”

CHORE AND PEACE

However, those rare moments when everything is complete can be hugely rewarding; one in 10 (11 per cent) who took part in the survey confessed the feeling of completing daily tasks has been more rewarding than sex. One in 20 (5 per cent) went so far as to say it has brought them closer to their partner.

For those who have used ‘life hacks’ or found ‘better ways’ to getting tasks done, three in ten (28 per cent) said they were less stressed as a result; two fifths (42 per cent) claimed life was easier as a result, while one in five (19 per cent) felt elated.

The Motherload – the 60,000-strong community of mothers – teamed up with recipe box company Gousto to find the best ‘chore cuts’ adopted by mums; their hacks to getting jobs and errands over with quicker.

Ultimate Chore Cuts include:

- If odd socks are a problem in your house and it takes you ages to pair them, get the kids involved. Tell them ‘The Sock-Monster’ has been at play. Now it’s up to your children to defeat him. How many pairs can they find?

- If dirty floors are the bane of your existence, invest in some floor mop slippers, or if you’ve got kids, get them to wear them.

- For shiny taps, cover them in toothpaste before removing to make them gleam. Stick half a lemon on the faucet once a week to de-scale the bottom of the tap.

- Home cooking can feel impossible, especially on busy days. Gousto’s new Ten to Table range – 10-minute meals from prepping to serving, are made with quality easy-to-prep ingredients and quick-cooked grains.

- Hairdryer dusting. Avoids you having to move things out of the way and enables you to keep one hand free for browsing your phone.

- Spraying radiators with scented polish to make the house smell nice, ‘as though it’s been freshly cleaned’.

- Avoid faff with changing sheets: turn the duvet cover inside out and then grab the two back corners of the duvet. One quick yank and the duvet cover falls perfectly into place, ready for a good night’s sleep.

Recipe box company Gousto makes home cooking simple and enjoyable for families, directly delivering fresh, perfectly measured ingredients (meaning no food waste), plus fool proof recipes, seven days a week. The brand new Ten to Table range – 10-minute meals from prepping to serving - enables you create nutritious, home-cooked meals in just minutes.

Mum-of-two Kate Dyson created The Motherload in June 2015. It started life as a Facebook Group with eight of Kate’s ‘mum friends’, sharing the highs and lows of motherhood in a safe, non-judgemental way.

Just 24 months later, The Motherload ®️ is now a group of over 60,000 women – collectively coming together to share parenting experiences and knowledge, acts of kindness, and candid, witty posts of the hilarious stuff kids do. Members identify as a tribe – called MOLOs (MOtherLOaders) – a moniker they came up with themselves but which now represents an inclusive ‘club’ for women